Fireplace damper



L. JONES,*JR

Oct. 29, l 92 9.

FIREPLACE DAMPER- Filed March 28, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 29, 1929. 1.. JONES, JR 1,734,013

FIREPLACE DAMPER Filed March 28, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 29, 1929 -LAWRENGE-JONES, 1TB, 'OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO PEERLESS MANU- nAoTURiNGooMrA'NY, on LOUISVILLE, KEN'ruoKY, e. oonrone'rron on DELAWARE FIREPLACE DAMPER Application filed March as, 1928. Serial no. 255,265.

This invention relates to improvements in fireplace dampers of the class disclosed in Letters Patent No. 'l,-O11,598, granted Decem= I ber 12, 1911, to VVQE. Fitch; and the fundamental purpose 'of'the invention is to adapt such dampers to the various conditions that are met 'in their installation.

Dampers of the class referred to, and which are commonly known as .d'ome dampers, are designed to be built into the masonry of the'chimneys, usually immediately above the fireplace openings, but at times up inside the chimney a material distance above the fireplace. With some mantel constructions it is desirable 'toproject'the' operating mechanism of the damper door through the front wall of "the chimney above the fireplace opening, while in other cases this arrangementxis impractical, or objectionable foraesthetic reasons, because of the particular mantel design.

' More Specific objects o f the invention are to provide ia d0me'damper'thatis suitable v for all installations "and which has provisions for equipping it with various kinds of'operating mechanisms to meet the difien the damper has been built into the masonry of the chimney. As a result of my improve:

ments, dealers are enabled, for a relatively small investment, to carry a supply of dampers that satisfactorily meet all requirements.

A construction through which the foregoing objects are realized is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a dome damper incorporating my improvements; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the damper door; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the damper body; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a bracket that is used in two of the operating mechanisms; Fig. 5 is a similar view of alatch plate used in the so-called ratchet mechanisms; Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal section through the fireplace opening. for'med with a poc lret lO- thatis adaptedito accommodate the worm type of openating mechanism when conditions make 1 its use desirable. v I

The dan'lpe'r door 12 i'sin the nature of a flat plate having air-offset li p 13tl1at er;-

the body of the damper, showing i't bui lt into the masonry of a'chimney and equipped withthe ratchet mechanism' for swinging the damper door and holding it in various adjusted positions; Fig. 7 is atransverse sec- 'tion throtigh the damperan'd the adjacent portion of a 'chimney,the damper door being in closedposi-tlon and equipped with the ratchet operating mechanism; and Fig.

prising a iront wall'B, a rear wall 3, and

end walls 4 and A horizontalilan-ge 6 extends along the loweredge of the rear wall 0 and the corresponding edges oi the end walls-4 ando and joins at the front a relatively wide horizontallfiange that is designated 7 and serves as an aro'lrbar tor-the fireplace opening'wlren the-damper :body is built into the chimney innnediatelyua bove tends aloi-i'g'its rearedge and part way across its ends, the door 5 having an extension M at one e'ndwhich serves as a-closure for the po'clret ltl. Trumiionslo and 16 extend fronts the ends 'o'fthedoor 12, an d'the upper edges The end wall 5 is"? bodyhaverec'esses within whichtherespec- "tive trunnions sare adapted "to rest, The

trunnion 16 i's'hel d withinthe recess ot the wall oagainst upward di'splaceinentlby a pl ate'it'i "that is suitably secured to said wall,

as by bol ts 18, and, as best shown in 6,

the middleporti'on ot said plateisinclined upwardly and inwardly so asto permitthe' op'posite end of the door to loera'ised and position below the damper body after the latter has been installed.

The front and rear walls of the pocket 10 have apertures through which a shaft 20, that is preferably square in cross section, is adapted to be extended, and 21 is a worm that is arranged for mounting upon the said shaft within said pocket. The worm has a spiral slot 22 within which a stud 23 of a bracket 24, shown in perspective in Fig. 4, is adapted to be engaged when said bracket is secured to the door 12 by bolts or other fastening means engaged through holes 25 in said door, such an arrangement being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and in full lines in Fig. 8. The door is preferably marked with the word Worm adjacent the holes 25 to indicate that the bracket 24 is to be applied in this position when operating mechanism of the worm type is to be used. The shaft 20 is extended through an opening in the front wall of the chimney, and beyond said wall has secured to it an operating handle 26. By turning this handle the worm 21 is rotated to shift the stud 23 of the bracket forwardly and rearwardly thereby to swing the door 12 on its trunnions between open and closed positions. By reason of the nature of the worm drive the door is held in any position to which it is adjusted.

Where, for reasons already stated, it is impractical or undesirable to extend the shaft 20 through the front wall of the chimney above the fireplace opening, the operating mechanism above described is replaced by a so-called ratchet mechanism, the same being illustrated in Figs. 1, 6 and 7. In adapting the device to the use of this mechanism, the bracket 24 is secured to the door 12 by passing its connecting means or bolts through holes 28, alongside which the word Ratchet appears on the door. The rear end of a ratchet bar 30 has an aperture through which is adapted to be engaged the stud 23 of the bracket 24, said stud having .a hole 31 through which a cotter pin or other holding means 32 is adapted to be extended. A notched latch plate 33, shown in perspective in Fig. 5, is adapted to be secured to the underside of the arch-bar 7 in such a position thatthe ratchet bar 30 may play freely through the slot thereof, the underside of the ratchet bar having notches 35 located at suitable distances apart along its lower edge for cooperation with the edge of the ratchet plate below the slot thereof. A handle 36 is fastened to the forward end of the latch bar. By lifting said handle 36, the bar may be released from holding engagement with the latch plate 33 and shifted inwardly and V outwardly to swing the door 12 on its trunnions, and the door is adapted to be held in given positions by the engagement of the notches 35 with the latch plate.

When the damper is installed in a chimney a distance above the top of the fireplace opening, the worm and ratchet mechanisms are discarded and chains are connected to lugs 38 that are formed on the underside of the damper door near the left hand end thereof, as the parts are viewed in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, and the door bears the word Chain adjacent said lugs. The chains (not shown) depend into the fireplace opening where they are readily accessible for the purpose of opening and closing the damper door.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A damper of the class described comprising a body designed to be built into the masonry of a chimney, a closure movably supported thereby, and adapted to be operated by any one of a plurality of operating mechanisms, and an element for attachment to the closure in either of two positions for effecting. operative connections between it and one of the selected mechanism which element is common to both mechanisms.

2. A damper of the class described C0111- prising a body designed to be built into the masonry of a chimney, having an elongated opening therein, a door for said opening pivotally connected to the body on substantially the longitudinal axis of said opening, a

bracket adapted to be secured to said door in either of two positions, said door being provided with means for connecting the'bracket in either of the two positions thereon to accommodate one of two different types of operating means adapted to be used therewith and marks on the closure adjacent the places where said bracket is to be attached to indicate the character of the respective mechanisms to be associated therewith when the bracket is secured in that place. i i

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.'

LAWRENCE JONES, JR. 

